


To Have and To Hold

by rockethop



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Triplets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:41:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24941743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rockethop/pseuds/rockethop
Summary: Leslie returns home after a bad day at work to a thoughtful gesture. Ben just might be the best husband ever.
Relationships: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Comments: 5
Kudos: 39





	To Have and To Hold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ugly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ugly/gifts).



> Hi!! I just wanted to put a quick potential TW/CW for those that are emetophobic - the last sentence in the second major paragraph has a very, very mild mention/description that could potentially trigger emetophobia.
> 
> Dedicated to Zi because she always asks for Benslie fluff and our groupchat subjects her to every *except* Benslie fluff.

She’s trying really hard not to panic.

For what seems like the billionth time this week, Leslie is struggling to keep her head above water at work. Her presence is required at meetings regarding the national parks’ calendar of operations, her signature’s needed on these forms, the emails in her inbox eagerly anticipate her response, and _ I’m so sorry to bother you Mrs. Knope, but can you take the call on line three? _

And the president is trying to drill for oil on the outskirts of one of her parks.

So, yeah, perhaps she’d had better weeks than this in the past.

In any other circumstances, maybe she would’ve been able to keep her head down and shoulder past the difficulties that had been thrown at her since walking into the office this morning, but she’d received even less sleep than usual on account of staying up all night with a sick Stephen. If she concentrates hard enough, she can still smell the acrid grape scent of children’s Tylenol from moments before the medication came hurling out her little boy’s mouth a few minutes later.

It’s when she loses the email she’s spent all morning drafting that she breaks down.

_ ‘I think I may actually kill someone.’ _ She texts her husband during her lunch break.  _ ‘Okay, no. Not really. That was extreme even for me. I’m having a horrible day.’ _

It’s dark by the time that she finishes at the office - and to be completely honest, she’s not exactly looking forward to going home. Leslie loves her children, she really does, but the last thing she wants to deal with right now are two healthy, rambunctious toddlers and another with a gastrointestinal bug. She then chastises herself for the thought and pushes the car door open.

What greets Leslie when she opens the front door knocks the air out of her.

The house is clean. The triplets’ toys are put away, all but one of the lights are off, and - most surprising - it’s quiet. Leslie was aware that she’d worked later than she usually did, but she hadn’t envisioned missing putting the kids to sleep. She shuts the door as seamlessly as possible and sneaks off towards the living room towards the light source.

She rounds the corner. Her husband’s passed out on his back on the couch, their ill son snoring with his head pressed to his father’s chest.

_ Okay, that’s pretty damn cute _ .

“Hi,” Leslie whispers as she presses her lips to Ben’s forehead.

He squints, seemingly confused, then yawns. “Hi. What time is it?”

“Almost seven forty-five,” Leslie chuckles and takes in her surroundings. The room seems so much larger without the children’s clutter occupying every nook, cranny, and alcove. “You are the most wonderful man in the history of men. But I’m still going to tease you for falling asleep before eight.”

“Ha, ha, ha,” Ben laughs humorlessly. “Leslie, I don’t think these are human children. They’re lifeforms sent from another dimension to punish us for every time we ever felt like successful, capable human beings.” He rubs his hand along Stephen’s back.

The little boy’s eyes twitch and his face scrunches before his hands come to swipe at his eyes.

“Hi, baby,” Leslie murmurs. It’s too late though. The toddler’s fussy and suffering. She gathers Stephen in her arms and presses her palm to his forehead. “He’s burning up. When did he last take some Tylenol?”

“This morning, I think.”

Leslie makes to head off with Stephen in her arms when Ben pushes himself to his feet.

“No, no, I’ll do it. Go eat. I made spaghetti.” He motions for Stephen.

“Did the kids eat it?”

She’s taken aback when he says yes - because those adorable, terrifying little humans refuse to eat anything that she attempts to make for them - then launches into a maternal tirade about choking hazards for toddlers and the importance of cutting the noodles into smaller bites for their tiny mouths. She’s cut off by Ben pulling Stephen from her grasp and nudging her into the direction of the kitchen before he slinks away to put their child to bed.

Leslie’s just started the loaded dishwasher when Ben loops his arms around her waist from behind. 

“How did it go?” She asks, leaning her head into the crook of his neck.

Ben sighs. “It was alright. I gave him some medicine and his fever was starting to come down. He’s been miserable all day.”

“Poor little guy.” Leslie laments. “Thank you, again. It was really nice coming home to a clean, quiet house with the babies in bed and dinner made and the dishes done. When did you find the time to do all of it?”

“I put the other two to work,” Ben huffs. “We turned it into a game. I have no idea where anything is but at least it looks good.”

Leslie giggles, “You made three-year-olds do chores?”

“Is that not the point of having kids, using them for physical labor?” He jests.

It’s quiet for a moment and he rests his head against hers.

“I’m sorry your day wasn’t great.”

“Yeah,” she sighs. “It sucked today.”

Ben spins Leslie so that she’s facing him. “I threw some strawberries into some rosé to soak earlier, do you want to hop into the tub, pour in some of that lavender bubble bath, eat them, and then go straight to bed?”

He’s met with a lingering kiss on the lips.

“Yes please.”


End file.
